This poster features NASA's Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission. The front features an image of the GPM Core Observatory satellite along with the constellation of satellites that will accompany it. Background information is provided on...(View More) the reverse side of the poster, including an overview of the mission, details of the satellite, the science and applications of the mission, and information on the constellation missions with which GPM will partner. Also included on the back is a multi-age educational activity on freshwater availability. See Related & Supplemental Resources to download a PDF of the poster.(View Less)

The total amount of water on Earth, the places in which it is found and the percentages of fresh vs. salt are examined in this lesson. A short demonstration allows students to visualize the percentage differences and a coloring exercise illustrates...(View More) locations. This lesson uses the 5E instructional model. All background information, student worksheets and images/photographs/data are included in these downloadable sections: Teacher's Guide, Student Capture Sheet and PowerPoint Presentation.(View Less)

This lesson was developed to give participants an understanding of Earth's water cycle. In this one-hour long activity, students participate in a webquest to learn about the water cycle, and then build a mini-model of the water cycle to observe how...(View More) water moves through Earth's four systems. The activity uses the 5E instructional model and is part of the "Survivor Earth" series of one-hour lessons.(View Less)

Water is essential to Earth's living system, the biosphere. In this lesson, students determine the types of living things within an outdoor study site, use a taxonomic key to determine the predominant land cover type of their site, then predict the...(View More) amount of water present. Data collection is based on protocols from the GLOBE program. This activity uses the 5E instructional model and is part of the "Survivor Earth" series of one-hour lessons.(View Less)

Cloud cover is a fundamental observation in the S'COOL project. The ability to reasonably estimate the percentage of cloud cover is introduced and practiced in this activity. The Students' Cloud Observations On-Line (S'COOL) project engages students...(View More) in making and reporting ground truth observations of clouds then comparing those observations with data from the CERES satellite instrument.(View Less)

This game is intended to be used at the end of a unit on weather, providing a review of cloud and weather-related concepts. A student worksheet and a list of questions for teacher use, as well as student notes and suggestions for assessment are...(View More) included. The Student Cloud Observations On-Line (S'COOL) project encourages students of all ages to participate in real science by reporting ground truth observations of clouds, helping to assist in the validation of NASA's CERES satellite instruments.(View Less)

In this lesson, students construct a rain gauge, collect and graph precipitation data, specifically the amount of rainfall at a locality, then compare their findings with other students' data.The resource includes teaching notes, a vocabulary list...(View More) linked to a glossary, and a student record sheet. This activity is related to the NASA CERES Students Cloud Observations Online (S'COOL) project.(View Less)

Each student will explore three activities that promote understanding of and respect for soil. They will generate responses to the following questions: "What makes up soil?" and "What lives in the soil?" Next the students will watch a demonstration...(View More) of how much soil there is on Earth that is available for human use. Last they will create their own soil connection sentences. Uses commonly-available or inexpensive materials (e.g., chart paper, markers, apple). This is the 3rd of 3 sets of learning activities that are companion activities to the Elementary GLOBE children's book, The Scoop on Soils. Includes a teacher implementation guide. GLOBE (Global Learning and Observation to Benefit the Environment) is a worldwide, hands-on, K-12 school-based science education program.(View Less)

The purpose of this investigation is to understand the change that takes place when water condenses from a gas to a liquid, and how a change in pressure affects this transformation. Materials needed for the experiment include a large (2L) soda...(View More) bottle, a squeeze bottle with a plastic hose, parking pens, construction paper, wooden matches, and tap water. The resource includes background information, a pre-activity exploration for students, teaching tips and questions to guide student discussion. This is the chapter 12 of Meteorology: An Educator's Resource for Inquiry-Based Learning for Grades 5-9. The guide includes a discussion of learning science, the use of inquiry in the classroom, instructions for making simple weather instruments, and more than 20 weather investigations ranging from teacher-centered to guided and open inquiry investigations.(View Less)

In these activities, students continue to explore the idea of interaction among Earth components as they identify processes in the Earth system and indicate how they illustrate an interaction between two of the Earth system components. Uses commonly...(View More) available materials (e.g., markers, colored pencils, blank wall chart paper, overhead transparency sheets). This is the 2nd of 3 sets of learning activities that are companion activities to the Elementary GLOBE children's book, All About Earth: Our World on Stage. Includes a teacher implementation guide. GLOBE (Global Learning and Observation to Benefit the Environment) is a worldwide, hands-on, K-12 school-based science education program.(View Less)